Worishofer shoes are taking over Hollywood, but noone can tell why. A sensible sandal which puts function before fashion, the Worishofer shoes are granny chic and showing up on more and more A-list celebrity women.
Style icons, including Spider-Man star Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams and actress Maggie Gyllenhall, have been spotted wearing the cork-soled Worishofer footwear and they are flying off the shelves in New York.
The frumpy wedges, which come in several colours, have tripled in sales since last year in the city's hottest boutiques.
Paul Weitman, sales manager of US based Laurevan shoes which has sold the sandals for 26 years, is baffled but delighted by the sudden surge in their popularity.
He said: "We used to joke they were bunion shoes. But younger women have started getting interested in them. My daughter is 28 and my wife is 56 but both wear them. They have just caught on and I can't explain it."
Now his company supplies the sandals for 50 boutiques in the New York area, where the fashion-minded are teaming them up with chunky socks and tea dresses.
The sandals are named after Bad Wrishofen, the Bavarian spa town where they're made. Invented by a German podiatrist in the mid 20th century, they boast a contoured insole for comfort.
Until now they have only been a favourite for older women with problem feet. So how did they become the last word in geek chic?It all started when an influential US shopping magazine called them chic and "ridiculously comfortable".Now it looks as if they are coming hot on the heels of Crocs and Uggs as the latest ugly shoe.Crocs, ventilated plastic slip-on shoes that come in a myriad of bright colors, have soared in popularity in the past two years. Uggs, a sheepskin lined suede boot from Australia, became cool after supermodel Kate Moss was spotted wearing them.Dr Scholl's sandals and Birkenstocks also continue to sell well, despite looking more at home on the hospital ward than on the catwalk. In the US, trend shops such as Urban Outfitter are selling out of Wrishofers as quickly as they get them in.Urban Outfitter's Charlotte Glover said: "Our customers covet the vintage look."Shoes that would once have been labelled with the sensible tag are now some of the most searched brands on our website."But what do the experts think? Here's our fashionistas verdicts on the sandals.JULIE HANNAHRECORD FASHION EXPERTGIRLS are fed up crippling themselves in high heels, so footfriendly Wrishofer sandals should be a welcome relief, according to Julie. She said there is a huge market for geek chic shoes, which are comfortable and look good. But Julie predicts if Worishofer sandals do take off, then they'll be a one season wonder.
She said: "If celebrities are wearing them then I'm sure they'll take off."Maggie Gyllenhall is edgy and trendy. "It is important to look after your feet and I'm all for comfort as an alternative to high heels. "I like the cork sole of the Worishofers. It's bouncy so will absorb the impact when you're walking. But there aremuch more stylish wedges around."But Julie revealed she has no plans to buy a pair. "Worishofers look really old-fashioned," she said. "I can imagine a granny wearing them with tan tights as she shuffles along the pavement."It would be hard for anyone to say that finding a pair in a shop would be love at first sight. "I definitely won't be wearing them. "It took me ages to eventually buy into the Ugg trend."I wore them at a fashion shoot one day, realized how comfy they were and was converted. "However, not a lot can beat my biker boots. "They are so comfortable that sometimes I think they're surgically attached to my feet."
